Bad Idea to Run Sick?

Well, I'm off to the Moose Mountain Trail Run (42 km). A friend and I are driving 3 hours heading out at 4 a.m. so we can be at the start line when the horn blows at 8:30 in the morning. I've been planning for this race for some time now, tackling trails and elevation or rather being tackled by trails and elevation during training. I hate to let all that work slip thorugh my fingers because of a little friend that decided to join the party last minute, a head cold.

I guess the stress and lack of sleep that accompanied the birth of our fourth child just a week ago, not to mention hospital food, has taken it's toll. For the second time in the history of my not-so-terribly-long running career of 1 1/2 years I have gotten sick. Being the day before a race, I'm a little anxious about the endeavor. At the recommendation of friends and family, I have downed oregano essential oil by the droplets and injested sage both through chewing sage leaves with sugar-free gum and adding sage powder to a hot pepermint tea. Hopefully, after a shower, stretch, and sleep, I will be feeling better in the morning.

The plan is to run the marathon at a recreational pace, more for the experience than for the competition. Hopefully this will help keep me from pushing my body beyond it's limits and not get me even more sick. We'll see how my will does against that dreaded start line adrenalin. Wish me luck! 

Related Post: Activities That are No Fun in Vibram FiveFingers

Update on Monday, August 30, 2010 at 9:35PM by Nathan Smith

The answer to the question in the title of this post is a resounding YES. The cold I was battling was responsible for keeping me up most of the night. With a cold and only two hours of sleep you would think I had enough sense to put the race off. Well, my pride rationalized me into stupidity, and I went for it.

Having never stumbled once during training trail runs, I should have taken the hint to slow down after stumbling a half dozen times while making my 3000 foot decent from off the summit climbed during the first 1/3 of the marathon. At the 13.1 mile mark, the half-way mark, a stumble turned into a not-so-graceful fall, and I collided with hard, merciless dirt. At impact, I heard a pop as wind was forced from my chest. I knew instantly that something was wrong, and while trying to slog (slow jog) down the remaining switchbacks the growing pain confirmed my worries. It hurt to breath. It hurt to move. It especially hurt to run. All of the muscles around my right chest cavity screamed in rebellion. I was forced to walk the rest of the way back to the finish.

Lucky for me, the marathon route included an 8 mile loop near the finish line, so my walk out was only 5 miles long. After waiting for my running partner to complete his first ever marathon (way to go, Wade!), we made the 3 hour drive back to my local hospital where my family doctor had me x-rayed. With a possible cracked rib and a lot of bruising and strain, he loaded me up with some pain killers and told me to take it easy, anywhere from 2-6 weeks of rest from strenuous activities. I'll have some painful recoup time to think about the lesson learned... Next time, I will listen more closely to my body. 

Watch for more detail in the upcoming race report.